The Letter
by xkeymasterx
Summary: Even if it's not an artifact, one beautifully handwritten page can completely change so many lives. Third chapter: Claudia. Tag to Reset, major spoilers for the season ending. Multi-chapter teamfic/character study. Rated K.
1. Chapter 1

The Letter

Even if it's not an artifact, one beautifully handwritten page can completely change so many lives. First chapter: Mrs. Frederick. Tag to Reset, major spoilers for the season ending. Multi-chapter teamfic/character study. Rated K.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, I'm just playing with them for a little while because the season's over and I'm already in withdrawal.

* * *

Hello again! Getting tired of me yet? I certainly hope not, 'cuz I've got a lot more fics in my head just begging to come out… if people want them. This is the beginning of what will hopefully become my very first published multi-chapter fic, though in truth it is little more than a series of related oneshots. I am already thinking about a sequel that shows 'what happened after', but that will depend on the reception this fic gets.

This idea was born while I watched in shock and sadness as Myka left in the last scene of the season finale. Each chapter will show a different character's reactions to Myka's resignation, beginning with Mrs. Frederick and eventually including the entire team. Barring lousy traffic/reviews (hint, hint), I can pretty much guarantee at least one post a week.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out! Reviews will make me update quicker!

Akaylah

**Important Note:** For those who have not seen the Season 1 episode 'Breakdown', Mrs. Frederick's first name is Irene.

* * *

"I understand you wanted to see me."

She spoke gently and quietly in an effort to appear as non-threatening as possible. She knew very well that all her agents found her quite threatening (and, to own the truth, she had not discouraged that impression), but right then Myka did not need to be threatened.

Agent Bering's sudden, broad smile upon seeing her faded just as quickly as it came, and she began to fumble for words. After a moment, she gave up and simply handed her an envelope. "Could you give this to Artie, please?" she asked softly, fidgeting with her hands.

Irene stared at the unmarked envelope for a long moment. Though she was not expecting any such action from Myka, she knew what the envelope contained the instant she saw it. Concerned, she lifted her gaze to Myka's eyes.

The businesslike mask had dropped, and she saw an agonized mixture of pain and self-doubt swirling through her agent's meticulous mind. It was the look of a perfectionist who had, in her own mind, utterly and spectacularly failed. She had seen that look before on other faces: defeated faces. It at once alarmed and deeply saddened her. Here was a brilliant, uniquely talented woman who had allowed one mistake to completely destroy her fragile faith in herself.

"Myka," she began gently, "you can't blame yourself. It could have happened to any one of us."

"But it didn't. It happened to me," she answered immediately in a voice grown cold and bitter with self-reproach.

"You talked her down. You saved us all," she replied, frustrated by Agent Bering's complete focus on her mistake while minimizing her essential role in righting that mistake.

"It should never have come to that. I put the entire world in jeopardy. I can't take that chance again … and neither can you."

Irene looked one last time at Myka Bering and at last understood how H.G. Wells' betrayal had driven her to that point. It wasn't bitterness over her mistake; it was the utter lack of confidence that the same thing would not happen again.

As Myka turned away, Irene wanted to say so many things: how good she was as an agent, how this error in judgment had made her wiser, how much she was needed. But she knew that nothing she said would change the real problem.

She knew that an agent that had no confidence in her own judgment in the field would quickly become a liability, a danger to herself and to her team. If that happened, it would completely destroy Myka.

She had to let Myka go.

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So there it is! Do you like? Hate? Somewhere in between? Tell me! Reviews feed the hungry muse!

I promise next chapter will have less recap in it, but doing this scene seemed essential to lay the groundwork for the other chapters. Next chapter will probably be Claudia's POV. I haven't finished writing them yet, but I can pretty much promise that each chapter will be longer than the last. So please forgive the baby chapter.

This chapter was extraordinarily difficult to write, because Mrs. Frederick hasn't had as much screen time as some of the other characters. I put in a lot of work nailing down her thought/speech patterns. Did I succeed? If you think Mrs. F was off in any way, _please_ tell me. I'm trying to get the characters right before I attempt a more involved story. Thanks! Nice day to ya!

XD


	2. Chapter 2

The Letter

Even if it's not an artifact, one beautifully handwritten page can completely change so many lives. Second chapter: Leena. Tag to Reset, major spoilers for the season ending. Multi-chapter teamfic/character study. Rated K.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, I'm just playing with them for a little while because the season's over and I'm already in withdrawal.

Oh, by the way, I am my own beta. So if you find a mistake in here … don't blame me, blame the beta!

Oh, wait …

* * *

'Reset' is such a brilliant name for this episode. Talk about multiple meanings! Here are the ones I see, in no particular order:

1) H.G. is trying to wipe out the human race so the world can start over

2) Myka's grave error in trusting H.G. has so shattered her self-confidence that she's right back where she was right after Sam died – except worse

3) Myka has burned bridges and is now back to being an ordinary Secret Service agent – if D.C. will take her back

4) Mrs. Frederick and the Regents have to look for another agent – again

5) H.G. is out of the picture – finally – and the Warehouse is now traitor/cuckoo-free (we hope).

I'm sure there are others I'm missing … anyone got any ideas? Send them to me in a review and I'll post them at the beginning of the next chapter!

I was going to write the second chapter from Claudia's point of view, but AM asked me to do Leena next, and after I thought about it, it seemed like a better idea. Thanks AM! What's a writer without feedback? Answer: the depressed hamburger-flipper at McDonalds.

This chapter is shorter than the previous, because as promised I cut down on the amount of recap from the episode. I think I could have done more with this chapter if the writers had given Leena more airtime. But I understand why they couldn't, and I look forward to her having a bigger role next year (fingers crossed). Best wishes to Genelle and her family!

And last but certainly not least, a big _**Thank You**_ to all my loyal readers, and please leave a review on your way out! I hope you enjoy!

Akaylah

* * *

"_Leena… you're the only mom they have. Watch over them…"_

Oh, Myka.

In some ways, you're a mom to them too. You never leave their side when any of them are in trouble, and you've always been there for them. They need you, now more than ever.

You aren't the only person to blame yourself for letting H.G. Wells nearly destroy the world. _All_ of us played some part in what happened.

Artie is sitting over here mentally beating himself up because he didn't see sooner that she had orchestrated the rediscovery of Warehouse 2.

Claudia is angry that she didn't keep a closer eye on the Warehouse 13 bank accounts, since Artie had been suspicious of H.G. Wells from the beginning.

Pete blames himself for not watching her more closely, for not seeing the signs of mental instability that he has convinced himself must have existed.

And now, they will all blame themselves at some level for your leaving.

Your team needs you, Myka. You are their family. If you could see them now, I don't think you could leave. Pete couldn't even bear to hear your farewell to him. Claudia is in tears, and Artie has a look of overpowering sadness and guilt that I have only seen a few times since he started to work at the Warehouse.

Don't let your own insecurity put the people you love through the pain of losing a family member. You're a better person than that. You're too strong to let one mistake drive you away from what has become _your_ family, too.

_"…and make sure that Artie eats right."_

A ghost of a smile flitted briefly across Leena's features, and she shook her head ever so slightly. Myka, you don't even realize how much of a mother you truly are. You can't leave this place, because it is too much a part of you.

You'll be back.

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So did you like? Hate? Please tell me! Reviews really _do_ feed the hungry muse!

This one is a little denser than the first; rather than explicitly stating some things about Leena's reaction, I implied them in her thought processes. I think she blames herself too for letting H.G. get as far as she did. She _reads auras_. She's supposed to be the perceptive one about people, and she didn't see it coming any more than anyone else. That has to bring some guilt, especially now that the repercussions have driven her close friend away. She's still too focused on other people to think about her own reaction, though. She's too concerned about her friends to notice all of the effect it's having on her. I think that's also why this chapter ended up in first person, as Leena thinking 'to' Myka.

As I said before, I'm trying hard to get the characters exactly right, so please drop me a line and tell me how you think I did. To be honest, I'm not quite sure about this chapter – some of the phrases don't seem right. I wrote parts of it at 11:00 at night, and then this morning I couldn't seem to find better ways to say what was bothering me.

I excitedly read all reviews and PMs that come my way. Thanks to Oracle24401, nourgelitnius, and AM for reviewing the first chapter and encouraging me to go on!

Nice day to you all!

XD


	3. Chapter 3

Hey again! I am so sorry this update took so long. Real Life got fed up with my pseudo-neglect and decided to give me a severe kick in the backside. This chapter is considerably longer than the first two, so I hope you're not too mad at me.

Please, please review! I only got two reviews last chapter, and I was a little disappointed. I know lots of people are reading. Even if you don't have an account, you can post an anonymous review.

Thanks once again to all my loyal readers! On with the story!

Akaylah

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"_Claudia… take care of Pete and Artie…"_

Claudia blinked the tears back and briefly glanced over at Artie, who gave her a little sad smile – whether to encourage her, or at the irony of that statement, she didn't know. Maybe H.G. had exposed Myka to some crazy voodoo artifact, because she couldn't've been sane when she wrote _that_. Her mind drifted back several months, to the time she had asked Myka to show her some basic self-defense moves. It was then she had first discovered how difficult 'simple' moves could be. _Protect_ Pete and Artie? Her? She could barely keep a cuckoo cow doctor from chopping Pete up into little bits. How could she protect anyone from the MacPhersons of the world?

They were a _team_, and a good one. Everyone protected everybody else. Having each other had kept them alive – had kept the _world_ alive – through the last year… the last crazy, terrifying, amazing year.

More than that, though – they were a family. A rather messed-up, crazy-glued family full of damaged, dysfunctional people, sure, but… a family. And Myka had thrown it all away.

_Why?_ _Why_ had she left? She suddenly felt like screaming. This was the first family she had felt a part of since Joshua disappeared, and it was gone. No one could even begin to replace Myka in the team _or_ the family. Another family flushed down the septic tank. Life must really hate her.

Sure, Myka had stepped in it bigtime – _big_time – when she had taken H.G.'s side against _Artie_, of all people, but still… they were a family. Artie would have forgiven her. And when the crap hit the fan in a big way, it was Myka that came through for the team. For the world.

For her family.

"_Let's face it, you're the only adult in the group."_

She smirked at the irony – mostly out of habit. Boy, was _that_ ever back-asswards. Claudia the teenage freak was supposed to be the only _non_-adult in the group. She sighed. She had just narrowly avoided a responsibility way, _way_ too big for her, only to have another shoved into her hands by Myka, of all people. Myka, the person she _thought_ she knew. But the Myka she knew would not have given her that kind of burden. Oh, not to mention that the Myka she knew would never have walked out on her job. Her responsibilities. Her family.

_ "I wish I could be there to watch you grow into the amazing woman you're going to become."_

Something in her briefly felt a pale echo of joy – just briefly. She slumped further into the chair. Claudia the teenage train wreck could never become Claudia the reliable grownup without someone like Myka to learn from. Myka was the only big sister she had ever had… until she walked out. Left. Without even saying bye.

Anger took hold again. Myka, how could you _do_ this?

_ "I love you all. Myka."_

Claudia lowered her head as the tears suddenly escaped her tenuous grasp. Her fist balled up almost without her consent.

And all she had left was a stupid, lousy piece of paper.

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So what did you think? Love? Hate? Reviews, even flames and one-liners, are greedily accepted.

I'm really not sure how I did with this chapter, and I especially want reader feedback now. Did I nail Claudia's character, or did I miss something?

Next chapter: Pete! Hopefully by early next week. IF I get a lot of reviews, I might be persuaded to post earlier.

Thanks again for reading! A nice day to you all!

XD


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